DISTURBANCE SEASIDE!
Creative Staff
Story: Satoshi Wagahara
Art: Akio Hiiragi
Translation: Kevin Gifford
What they say
The Devil King is on the beach, but there’s no time to relax! People are packed into the eatery, and Maou’s crew can barely keep up with the demand. Looks like the girls will have to come to their rescue! Everything’s fun on the shore, but with the appearance of Maou’s military adviser, is there trouble on the horizon?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I’ve noticed a theme with The Devil is a Part-Timer manga series. Since it’s being adapted from the light novels, and has thus far been a fairly accurate adaptation, the manga takes at least two volumes to complete each arc, which is only one volume of the light novels. So it is that volume 9 of the manga ends the arc of what I believe is volume 4 of the light novel series.
In the previous volume, one of Maou’s retainers from Ente Isla appeared before him, wounded to the point where he turns into a baby chick. The demon, Camio, appears to be some kind of bird demon. Like how Maou and the others became more or less human after losing their powers, this creature becomes harmless, but instead of turning into a human, it turns into this little bird. I’m guessing this is because Earth doesn’t have much magic.
Volume 9 starts off with Maou and the others getting ready for the wave of customers they hope to receive. As you might remember from the previous volume, Maou and the gang have been tasked with helping Amane man her shop. I don’t think they’re quite prepared for the deluge of people. Perhaps it was the decorations, perhaps it was the sand castle, perhaps it was something else entirely, but a huge crowd comes to the shop after it opens. Maou and the gang are swamped with customers. Poor Urushihara’s NEET heart can’t even take all the people surrounding him. Fortunately, help is on the way.
I have to hand it to Akio Hiiragi. He makes some fine art. Just when it looks like Maou is about to be overwhelmed by his lack of foresight, Chiho, Emi, and Suzuno show up to save the day—in swimsuits. Hot damn. Let me just take a minute to say that this is one manga artist who knows how to draw gorgeous girls in tasteful bikinis. First, the lineart is all very crisp, and he takes a minimalist approach to shading, adding just enough to give the characters depth without overpowering their design. My personal favorite is Emi and her bikini with floral designs.
Thanks to the three girls, the day is saved. Afterward, the group reconvenes inside of Maou’s room, where Camio is resting. There’s a lot of good comedy during this scene, especially since Alas Ramus is present and apparently loves birds, aka tweety-tweets. Camio’s reaction to learning that Satan is more or less allied with Emilia the Hero is also excellent comedy gold. During this time, we learn some interesting background information, like how Maou and Alciel were originally enemies. Another interesting fact we learn is actually a good plot twist.
The one who injured Camio so much was none other than Amane Ohguro.
It seems there’s more to this chick than her tan skin and voluptuous figure would suggest—not that I’m surprised. There’s always been a lot of intrigue surrounding Amane’s aunt, Kitty, who is also Maou’s landlord. She knows that Maou is a Devil King from another world, and she seems to have a lot more knowledge that she’s keeping hidden. Amane is no different. There’s so much about her that we just don’t know. However, it seems that she and Kitty are somehow related to Alus Ramus. Does this mean they are also fragments belonging to the Tree of Sephirot? Are they creatures that were created from a shard of Sephirot’s seeds like how Alus Ramus is a shard of Yesod? I expect we’ll find out later in the series. At the moment, there are more important things to worry about.
Like the fact that a horde of demons have shown up in search for Emilia’s sword, the Better Half.
In Summary
In terms of story telling and execution, I would give this series incredibly high ratings. The Devil is a Part-Timer has been one of my favorite anime/light novels/manga for awhile now. It’s a great blend of humor, fan service, romance, and good storytelling. What’s more, I really love the art style. This is currently one of my favorite series, and I can’t wait for the next volume to come out.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 20, 2017
MSRP: $13.00
